Smart Cities
This book and series was created from a two year investigation project launched to discover the civic formula required to dramatically boost learning outcomes and employability. For more visit our Smart Cities book page.
The Path to Systemic Innovation
The era of standards-based reform has brought significant progress to America over the last 25 years. Especially in states that pursued it with consistency - Massachusetts, Maryland and Texas, for example - the results are clear. The Common Core and its associated assessments might be seen as the culmination of that phase of US educational development.
Triumph of The City: Smart People, Small Firms, Connections to The World
“The successful cities of the 21 century are marked by three things, smart people, small firms and connections to the outside world,” said Ed Glaeser. “Smart people are able to use the density, to learn from one another and, of course, connections to the outside world are what cities are all about.”
San Francisco: Powering the Global Learning Revolution
The Bay Area is the world’s leading innovation hub--and that includes learning. Ten years ago it was all about Silicon Valley, but recently Oakland emerged as an EdReform hotspot.
Innovation Ecosystems: The Role of Impact Investing
There are a lot of interesting things to say about the Baltimore venture ecosystem. The Baltimore/Washington area contains a shockingly high percentage of the most successful education businesses, including Laureate Education, American Public Education Inc., Blackboard, and 2U.
Silicon Valley: Global Innovation Engine
The 20-mile stretch from Stanford University to San Jose, Calif. produces more innovation than any place on the planet. As Richard Florida noted, the unique confluence of a great R1 University, venture investors, tech talent, and great quality of life make it a creative hotspot.
Building a National Innovation Partnership
In order to affect positive change in education we must stand on the shoulders of giants. Education is multi-faceted, multi-layered, and often under-resourced; it can benefit from coordinated, strategic and engaged partnerships that span from the classroom to the White House.
Indianapolis: Mind Trust Develops The Smart Cities Formula
David Harris, The Mind Trust founder, wanted to cultivate in Indianapolis a climate of talent, creativity and boldness – one focused on improving education. He created the best example of an edu innovation ecosystem built from scratch.
Fostering Innovation in Cities
To create real and lasting change in any large organization but particularly in government, it’s not enough to change policy: you also have to change the daily practice and culture of the organization.
Smart Cities Spur Innovations in Learning
It's time to get smart; innovative tools and schools are helping; most innovations come from smart ecosystems--and it all begins with a startup mindset. We're writing the Smart Cities book--and you can help.
Austin: Great Music, Vibrant Tech, Traditional Ed
Compared to tech and media, Austin has been slower to develop as an EdTech hotspot. Like other cities, education innovation in Austin runs about a decade behind tech, but a strong group of leaders and organizations show great promise for innovations to come.